AFRICAN HEALTH OFFICIALS LAUD ETHIOPIA’S SUPPORT FOR REFUGEES

ADDIS ABABA, High level health officials from three neighboring countries have praised Ethiopia for the care and support the country is providing for refugees.

The officials from Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan says Ethiopia is a showcase for hosting and treating refugees by enabling them to feel at home.

The Head of Planning, Policy and Partnership Affairs Division at the Somalia Ministry of Health, Muhammad Abdullahi, said Ethiopia had sheltered thousands of Somali citizens who fled the civil war and the recurrent drought in that country.

While Somali refugees in other countries are facing forced deportation, the Ethiopian government has provided fair reception and treated the refugees just like its own citizens, Muhammad added.

The peoples and government of Ethiopia have provided the necessary social services for refugees from Somalia, reflecting the spirit of good neighbourliness that the country has show and we need to appreciate this,” he said.

As the Somali government has reclaimed most of the territories which were under the control of the Al-Shabaab militants, peace and stability are being restored to the country, and the Somali government is working on repatriating refugees who migrated to neighboring countries, he indicated.

Dr. Said Mohamed, the Planning and Policy Director at Sudan’s Ministry of Health, said Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia had been getting appropriate treatment, including health services and education offered by the Ethiopian government and he expressed his gratitude to Ethiopia for its treatment of Sudanese refugees sheltered in a number of refugee camps in the country.

Dr. Kediende Chong, the International Health Affairs Co-ordinator with the South Sudanese Ministry of Health, said the peoples of South Sudan and Ethiopia had longstanding historical ties and Ethiopia had rendered immense contributions to the freedom of South Sudan and was striving to ensure sustained peace and stability in his country.

South Sudanese refugees, who had been sheltering in Ethiopia, considered the country as their second home due to the support and care they received during their stay, Dr. Chong said.

Currently, Ethiopia is hosting more than 800,000 refugees, the largest refugee population among countries in Africa.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

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